Salish Sea News Week in Review February 18 2022

 

Aloha Pluto Friday!
Astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh discovered Pluto on February 18, 1930, at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Percival Lowell was the first to propose that the planetary body that turned out to be Pluto existed. Wobbles in the orbits of Uranus and Neptune had been detected, and he thought they must be caused by the gravitational pull of an unknown planetary body. Lowell determined the approximate location of the body and tried to locate it for more than a decade, to no avail.  Tombaugh found Pluto while using a blink microscope combined with photographic plates. The discovery was publicly announced on March 13, on the anniversary of Lowell's birth and of the discovery of Uranus. 

Cargo-spilling ship leaves Northwest, returns to Asia. Its debris remains
Nearly four months after spilling 109 shipping containers off the Washington and British Columbia coasts, the Zim Kingston left North American waters on Wednesday.

Oregon Dungeness crab season breaking records
After starting on time for the first time in years, Oregon's Dungeness crab season is bringing in a record-breaking haul. Fishermen have brought in about $80 million this season, which began Dec. 1.

Scientists question state plan that doubles sewer bills at Puget Sound treatment plants
Sewer bills could double by the end of the decade under a state plan that will require billions of dollars to construct new systems at wastewater treatment plants that discharge into Puget Sound.

Plan for Snohomish River Watershed meant to tackle threats to salmon 'head on'
Calling it the “Watershed Resilience Action Plan” for the Snohomish River Watershed, Washington state Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz outlined a system of fixes to bring back salmon and other fish to the river on Tuesday.

Court Rules on No Discharge Zone, Blocking Lingering Trump Administration Attempt to Allow Vessels to Dump Sewage into Puget Sound
Late February 14, the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., denied a move by the American Waterways Operators and the previous Trump Administration U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to halt the implementation of a No Discharge Zone (NDZ) for Puget Sound in Washington state.

Pacific Salmon Treaty failing to address harvest of B.C. stocks
Significant numbers of salmon returning to spawn in British Columbia are being caught in southeast Alaskan fisheries, hindering Canada’s efforts to preserve and rebuild stocks that are declining to historic lows, B.C. salmon advocates say.

Study suggests climate change made B.C. floods twice as likely
Catastrophic floods that swamped much of southern B.C. last fall were at least twice as likely because of climate change, suggests new research from Environment Canada.

Washington researchers identify new tool in fight to contain invasive green crabs: eDNA
State wildlife officials are requesting more than $8.5 million in emergency funding from the Legislature to boost the fight against invasive European green crabs.

Violence erupts at Coastal GasLink site near Houston, B.C.
Very early Thursday, just after midnight, Coastal GasLink security called RCMP for help, reporting it was under attack by about 20 people, some wielding axes.

Mysterious bubbles in Puget Sound: UW researchers track hundreds of seeping gas plumes
Data collected since 2011 shows 349 methane plumes in Puget Sound and Hood Canal. Researchers are exploring a potential correlation between the distribution of plumes and fault lines. Nicholas Turner reports.

These news clips are a selection of weekday clips collected in Salish Sea News and Weather which is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe at no cost to the weekday news clips, send your name and email to mikesato772 at gmail.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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